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Working Time, Gender and Family: An East‐West European Comparison
Author(s) -
Tang Ning,
Cousins Christine
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
gender, work and organization
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.159
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1468-0432
pISSN - 0968-6673
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0432.2005.00287.x
Subject(s) - czech , flexibility (engineering) , work (physics) , east central europe , west germany , family life , political science , economy , geography , development economics , economic growth , sociology , socioeconomics , history , economics , economic history , politics , mechanical engineering , philosophy , linguistics , management , law , engineering
This article provides a comparison of three West European countries with five Central East European countries in respect of working time and the integration of work and family life. The countries are the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK in West Europe and Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovenia in Central East Europe. As well as providing an East–West comparison, the article also takes into account the differing institutional and policy contexts in the selected countries and the different routes to flexibility. A further aim of the article is to extend our understanding of the culture and values which underpin the organization of family and work in each country. Whilst there is a clear East–West divide, all eight countries demonstrate diverse routes to flexibility and different mixes of social policies and gender cultures which have lead to considerable differences in the integration of work and family life.